Clause 151 - Directions with respect to the radio spectrum
Communications Bill
11:00 am
Mr Stephen Timms (Minister of State (e-Commerce & Competitiveness), Department of Trade and Industry; East Ham, Labour)
I recall that response vividly—as, I am sure, does my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, North-East. What my hon. Friend the then Minister said in response to that debate was absolutely right because at the time no mechanism was available
for issuing licences to people outside UK jurisdiction. That is why the concept of RSA has been developed; it is intended to fill the gap that the hon. Member for Sevenoaks and others referred to in that debate.
As we are referring to what was said in that debate, let me remind the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire of his own comments. He made some telling points and I am very glad to remind the Committee of them. He said:
''We could become bogged down in the technological issues associated with the interaction of satellite and terrestrial transmissions, but the issue really comes down to one of equity between those services that can bring themselves under the ambit of international satellite agreements and those that are currently confined to terrestrial licensing . . . In those circumstances, it is right that the Government should ensure that the licensing requirement necessary for the use of the radio spectrum should apply to all users of that part of the spectrum including international satellite operators.''—[Official Report, Standing Committee A, 13 November 1997; c. 62.]
He was absolutely right about that.